Jesus is Abundance
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
I wonder if people ever rolled their eyes at Jesus. Sure, we know that his teaching, his parables, even his miracles were divisive, that they often inspired worship or derision, that some were inspired to follow Jesus and others were disgusted by him. This was what Jesus was on about in Matthew 10 when he said he had not come to bring peace to earth but rather the sword. Of course, he wasn’t speaking as a violent revolutionary. Instead, he was predicting how his testimony and ministry would divide father and son, mother and daughter, etc.
No, that’s not the sort of reaction I am wondering about. In the lectionary passage from John 6, Jesus has fed the 5,000 the day prior and, having caught up with his disciples in the boat by casually walking on water, is now on the other side of the lake from the crowds. The crowds make their way to the other side of the lake in search of Jesus via some boats for hire. When they eventually find Jesus, they ask, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
This seems like a perfectly reasonable question to ask. The crowds had intended to take Jesus by force and make him their king (v. 14), so Jesus instead withdrew to a mountain by himself. That same evening, they noticed that the disciples, sans Jesus, had gotten into their one and only boat and headed for Capernaum. So, upon finding Jesus with the disciples the next day, they wondered how long he’d been there. Makes sense to me.
Jesus doesn’t answer their question, because of course he doesn’t. How often does Jesus actually answer people’s questions directly? Jesus waves their simple question about travel logistics away, pointing out that they weren’t really there to ask about Galilean boat traffic. Instead, he sees that they had a surprisingly good meal of bread and fish and had come for more.
And so, their question becomes a teaching moment for the Teacher. He admonishes them to feast on eternal food that does not spoil, that he is the Bread of Life and does not spoil, as the manna did in the desert.
This reminds me of something Sam Wells said in his plenary at the Gathering in 2022, that being a signpost of heaven means not coveting the things that are scarce but instead to cherish the things that never run out. Bread is a scarce resource. Jesus is abundance.
But the people still need to eat, don’t they? After Jesus teaches them to seek him and not desire the delicious meal of yesterday, they’ll find their ways back to their homes in their villages and will certainly eat a meal before the day concludes. What will the difference be? The fellowship around the table will now have new significance, a recognition that every calorie, as well as every kind word spoken at the meal, is a gift from God to be returned to God. Every meal is now an opportunity to proclaim and live the truth that, although some harvests fail, some bread goes moldy, and some fisheries dwindle, God is still a God of abundance whose kindness and generosity are never scarce.